Synonyms

Definition

Typologies and classifications distill a complex reality such as a heterogeneous population of higher education institutions into something simpler – something that is more manageable from both cognitive and analytic perspectives. Such groupings assemble entities into categories or classes that share common features and meaningfully differentiate them from those in other categories. The resulting categories can serve many purposes. For example, in the case of higher education they can

Serve as shorthand for quickly characterizing an institution, especially if the groupings are widely understood and consensually accepted

Be incorporated or enshrined in policy for purposes of resource allocation and system differentiation

Help prospective students or staff members identify the pool of institutions they might wish to join

McCormick, A.C., G.R. Pike, G.D. Kuh, and P.D. Chen. 2009. Comparing the utility of the 2000 and 2005 Carnegie Classification systems in research on students’ college experiences and outcomes. Research in Higher Education 50: 144–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Ruef, M. and M. Nag. 2015. The classification of organizational forms: Theory and application to the field of higher education. In Remaking college: The changing ecology of higher education, M. Stevens and M. Kirst. (Eds.) 84–109. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar